Bob Geldof

Bob Geldof "was born in Dublin, Ireland. He was the lead singer of the Dublin band, The Boomtown Rats, and has also recorded four solo albums. His music awards include Ivor Novellos, Brits and Grammies.

"In 1984, Geldof initiated the Band-Aid project, a charity for the victims of famine in Africa. In 1985 he organised the Live Aid concert and Sports Aid in 1986, and established the Band-Aid Trust to administer the $150,000,000 raised. Band-Aid continues to operate in eight African countries. In 1986, he was awarded a Knighthood for this work, and has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times.

"More recently, he has been a vocal supporter of Jubilee 2000, the worldwide movement to cancel third world debt, and in 2001 was involved in setting up DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa), a lobby group focused on generating more resources and better policy for African countries.

"He is also currently writing an amendment to family law, where he is an outspoken and eloquent campaigner for improving fathers' rights. Geldof has a number of different business interests, and in 1991, founded Planet 24, one of the largest independent production companies in the UK. He is currently founder and chair of 10 Alps Broadcasting."


 * Director, Castaway Television Productions
 * Commissioner, Commission for Africa
 * Advisory Council, Points of Peace Foundation
 * Patron, Aegis Trust
 * Director, Ten Alps
 * Counsellor, One Young World
 * Member, Africa Progress Panel
 * Winner of the 2005 Man of Peace award given by the Gorbachev Foundation
 * Winner of the Leadership category for the Beacon Prize

Criticism

 * George Monbiot, "Bards of the Powerful: Far from challenging the G8’s role in Africa’s poverty, Geldof and Bono are legitimising its power", The Guardian, June 21, 2005.
 * Stuart Hodkinson, "Inside The Murky World Of The Uk's Make Poverty History Campaign", ''Znet, June 28, 2005.
 * Michel Chossudovsky, "Live 8: Corporate Media Bonanza: Disinformation Campaign and Public Relations Stunt on behalf of the G8", Global Research, July 5, 2005.
 * William Bowles, ""Jive 8" and Poverty in Africa: Bob Geldof does Damage Control for War Criminal", Global Research, July 7, 2005.
 * Virginia Rodino, "Why Bono and Geldof Got It Wrong: African Debt, War and Imperialism are Linked", Counterpunch, August 1, 2005.
 * Patricia Daley, "Bob Geldof and the Livingstone connection: Africa not yet saved?", Pambazuka News, Issue 214, 2005-07-06.
 * George Monbiot, "The Man Who Betrayed the Poor: Even as the G8 promises fall apart, Geldof stays silent", the Guardian, 6th September 2005.
 * Stuart Hodkinson, "Geldof 8 - Africa nil: how rock stars betrayed the poor", New Internationalist, 2005.
 * Adam Elkus, "Babies and Banks: Celebrity Colonialism in Africa", Znet, November 04, 2006.
 * Vijay Prashad, "Bad Aid: Throw Your Arms Around the World", Counterpunch, March 29, 2010.
 * Paul Lewis, "Bob Geldof condemns lame and ineffective anti-poverty campaigners", Guardian, 2 April 2010.
 * "Open Letter to Bob Geldof: Do not choose the side of the Israeli oppressor", cosmos.ucc.ie, March 23, 2011.

"Bob Geldof to front African private equity fund"
In September 2010 it was reported that: "The influential rockstar has teamed up with Mark Florman, a former executive at Doughty Hanson, and Gordon Moore, formerly of Cinven. The former private equity duo will run the fund, which aims to become one of the biggest private equity investors in Africa.

"The fund has been named 8 Miles – the distance between the southern tip of Europe and northern Africa...

"Philip Pritchard, a broker with Credit Lyonnais in Asia who is a friend of Mr Geldof, and Simon Hall, a London-based headhunter, are thought to have helped pull the plans together.

"The team have already secured backing from the African Development Bank and the International Finance Corporation."

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"The fund, called 8 Miles, intends to make about 20 investments of between $15m and $80m in agribusinesses, financial services and telecommunications...

"Among others that Mr Geldof has approached for advice on the venture are Mo Ibrahim, the Sudanese-born telecoms tycoon turned philanthropist, and Arki Busson, the founder of hedge fund EIM. He has also discussed his plans with Tony Blair, the former British prime minister who sits with Mr Geldof on the Africa Progress Panel, monitoring donor commitments towards increased aid to Africa."

Related Sourcewatch articles

 * Neal Rogin
 * Peter Sulston
 * Paul Vallely - ghostwrote his autobiography
 * Soldiers of Peace
 * Peter Lilley
 * Make Poverty History
 * Britain's EMI Music Group, entered into a highly lucrative arrangement with the Live 8 organizers.
 * 50 Years Is Enough - critic